Schools spared by Gove face 40% cuts

About 600 projects will have to reduce costs, with local authorities claiming they will have to abandon plans to build new schools

Michael Gove: facing a new political storm over school building projects (Stefan Rousseau)
Michael Gove, the education secretary, is facing a new political storm over
school building projects after it emerged that even schemes spared the axe
in the summer now face 40% budget cuts.

About 600 projects will have to reduce costs, with a number of local
authorities claiming they will have to abandon plans to build new schools in
favour of refurbishing existing buildings.

Councils received telephone calls from the Department for Education on Friday
night breaking the news.

Gove insists he has always made it clear that all new school projects given
the go-ahead would be expected to reduce their costs.

Local authorities claim they were given no warning, however, and say their
plans are in turmoil.

Leicester city council has calculated that it will have to reduce its
rebuilding programme by £65m — the equivalent of five new schools — to meet
Gove’s demand.